Thinking Outside the Blog, written by Louis Lapides offers readers a much - needed pit stop to help us refine our thinking on life's big issues. In his blog Louis steers us outside those comfortable mental roads we often travel on when it comes to the way we think about God, religion, politics and culture. Thinking Outside the Blog maps out a highway of wisdom that must be revisited over and over.

Yes, I support federal law superseding the stupid state law of California that made medical marijuana legal. Now the feds are going to close down federally illegal pot shops in the land of fruits, nuts, twigs and seeds. Here is the essence of what Big Brother is going to do to medical marijuana dispensaries in CA:

'Under United States law, a dispensary's operations involving sales and distribution of marijuana are illegal and subject to criminal prosecution and civil enforcement actions,' according to the letters signed by U.S. Attorney Laura Duffy in San Diego. 'Real and personal property involved in such operations are subject to seizure by and forfeiture to the United States ... regardless of the purported purpose of the dispensary.'

Plenty of reasons exist why pot shops need to be shut down.

First, the so-called doctors that prescribe marijuana for patients are mostly incompetent. I've sat in on a session where someone was getting a card to enable them to purchase pot. The doctor asked a few basic fifth grade level medical questions, took the person's blood pressure and the exam was over. The encounter with the doctor was a perfunctory procedure in order for the patient to get pot.

Second, the regulations for obtaining pot are virtually absent. I can obtain pot right now simply because I often have trouble staying asleep. I can call a medical marijuana "doctor" with the questionable diplomas on his wall, tell him I have sleep issues and in two hours, I'm toking on a doobie. But that's not all.

In another hour or so, I can go to another dispensary and buy more pot and keep repeating the same action until the clinics close for the day. What's to stop me from purchasing all the pot I want? I cannot do that in a regular medical pharmacy. If I am prescribed Oxycontin, a physician normally prescribes a 30 days supply and the patient cannot get anymore of the drug until after the thirty days are over.

Third, young adults who underhandedly obtain pot from a clinic because of "back pain" or "insomnia" often sell their stash to younger kids. If you don't believe me, call the narcotics division of your county's sheriff's department, and ask them about the illegal activity taking place with minors obtaining weed from legitimate card holders. It's a racket.

Let's be honest. People who have legitimate cards to purchase grass really just want to get high.

Pot is not the only painkiller on the face of the earth or sleep aid. The medical benefits of pot are highly contested, but the motivation to obtain pot at one of these clinics is never questioned: to get high.

Finally, I am against the legalization of marijuana period. Why? I admit I smoked grass for five years of my life or maybe more. I forgot . . . which is the problem. Pot destroys brain cells.

In addition, individuals who smoke pot at an early age usually slow down their emotional maturity process. Smoking dope stunts a person's emotional growth. Hang around a bunch of twentysomething dopers, and you'll witness this phenomenon for yourself. They laugh at everything that isn't always that funny.

The majority of pot smoker share the same personality traits. Talk the same. Laugh the same. If I was looking for Big Brother, I say look no farther than a lit joint being passed around at a party.

Neither are pot smokers the smartest bunch on the planet. School grades start to plummet once a student starts indulging with a bong.

Pot smokers are often listless, incoherent, slow in reacting while driving a vehicle (as many studies have proven) often unambitious.

The police can't really arrest someone for driving under the influence of pot since THC stays in a person's system for 30-40 days. A pothead could have smoked two joints right before entering his vehicle or he may have smoked a reefer two weeks ago and is just a bad driver.

My biggest complaint about dopers is that they are narcissistic. Their main concern is their need to get high and then relax or seek entertainment and food.

I've spoken to owners of medical marijuana dispensaries and challenged them to visit drug rehabs where kids who started smoking pot soon graduated to cocaine or a harder drug. These pot professionals could care less. I was told, "It was their choice to stop smoking pot and move on to crack cocaine" That was not the answer I was looking for. I was seeking some human compassion. Instead, I receive the same old pot smoker narcissistic answer - I don't want anyone infringing on my right to get high.

Will closing the dispensaries solve the marijuana problem here in LA? Not really. Most likely, the closure of these dispensaries will boost the sales of pot among drug dealers and black market drug cartels.

Still I applaud President Obama for taking a bold step in overriding state law to impose federal law. I think a few other presidents did the same thing throughout history, such as President Lincoln regarding the ugly sin of slavery.

If closing dispensaries serves as a deterrent to some from smoking pot, then this federal action is worth it. I've seen enough kids ruin their lives due to entering into the world of drugs through the gateway drug of marijuana.

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About Me

If I didn't believe God has His foot on both the brakes and the accelerator of my life, I would do everything I could to move out of the fast lane. Yet I see every experience I face as His design to bring change and growth into my life. Vietnam. My love of music. Artistic abilities. Devotion to God's word. My desire to help others. Fascination with the possibilities with the Internet. Disappointments. Solving problems. Making both good and bad decisions. Everyone of my heartbreaks and heartfelt joys motivate me to rely more and more on God's grace especially when my life is moving faster than the posted speed limit.
Sometimes I wonder how cool it would be to live a boring life where not much happens. But then I wouldn't have much to write about.
To know me is to know a person who hasn't figured out how to buffer myself from life's suffering and pain. Nor am I able to do that for others. And for that I am thankful . . . . most of the time.